Tucker's Crossing by Marina Adair Page A

felt her neck warm all the way up to her hairline. She was caught and she knew it.
    “Not to mention you’ve been walking around like you’ve got a head full of cow chips. And whenever a woman trades in her good sense, there’s always a man involved.”
    “I’m going to talk to him about Jake. Give him the agreement.”
    “Well, it’s about time. Figured you’d have brought it up first off.”
    “Cody was so shocked.” Shelby grimaced, thinking back to that first day in the kitchen. “And when he hasn’t been avoiding me, Jake is somehow nearby. I have no idea how he’ll react and Jake’s already had more than his share of hurt. I don’t want to add to that with bad timing.”
    “The longer you put it off, the worse it’ll be.”
    Shelby sighed. Seeing Cody was the last thing she wanted to do. And being rejected again by Cody wasn’t how Shelby wanted to start her double shift. But she had to talk to him, just in case he decided to pack it up and move on in the meantime.
    Last night, well after their talk—attempted talk gone wrong—she’d heard him rev up his sedan and drive off to who knows where. Shelby had paced by the window, fearing she had missed her chance and praying that he’d come back. The sun had barely peeked over the hills when she’d heard the crunching of the gravel signaling his return.
    That got her attention. The longer she waited, the greater the chance that he might never come back.
    She needed to tackle this like her job. There was no room for emotions or fear in the ER so she’d do best to check hers at the curb with regard to Cody.
    “Now you take this and get.” Ms. Luella handed her the glass and dropped a muffin—not blueberry—into Shelby’s purse.
    “I wanted blueberry.”
    “And I want boobs that don’t blend into my waistline. Lemon and juniper muffin, it will help with bloating.” Shelby looked down at her stomach. It was the scrubs, she told herself. “Now stop lollygagging; he’s been out there in that heat for hours. Probably fixing to spin his own cotton.”
    With her hands full, she was completely defenseless against Ms. Luella’s intentions as her old friend tugged the front of Shelby’s nurse scrubs down.
    “Ms. Luella!” Shelby scolded, feeling her cheeks turn the color of beets.
    “What? I’ve got me a ribbon to win,” Luella chided, fluffing the back of Shelby’s ponytail and pulling her scrub pants tight across her derriere. “Plus, showing a little skin can’t hurt. The way he looks at you, sugar, he’ll be so busy gawking he won’t have time to pursue this letting-me-go nonsense.”
    Shelby softened. She knew Ms. Luella was nervous about her position here at the ranch. She also knew Cody could never follow through with letting her go.
    “He’s just blowing wind.”
    “Easy for you to say, seeing as he doesn’t want to throw you out so much as throw you in the hay.”
    Shelby ignored the comment. “Cody’s just frustrated. He knows that he can’t run and deep down he’s scared that he doesn’t really want to. But there’s no way he’ll fire you.”
    “Sugar, if you grew up in the hell those boys did while a bunch of us folks just stood around doing nothing, you’d think different. He’s got a right to kick us all out.”
    “You had your reasons,” Shelby said quietly.
    “We all have our reasons. But when it comes to protecting kids, I don’t think there are reasons enough to stand by and do nothing.” Luella blinked hard. Gave the scrub top another not-so-gentle tug and patted Shelby on the fanny. “Now go on. I need a good two hours in the kitchen without him trying to fire me. And shake that backside a little and see if he don’t drop right to his knees and ask for you back then and there.”
    Before she could clarify that she didn’t want Cody back, Ms. Luella spun around to busy herself with something Shelby was sure didn’t need busying with. But Ms. Luella didn’t turn her back fast enough, and Shelby